For the past five years TLEA has sponsored an environmental education day on Thompson Lake. From 1999 to 2001, sixth grade students from the Oxford Elementary School and a fifth grade class from the Crooked River School spent an entire day in May working at Pismo Beach, a recreational area at the North end of the lake.(see map) In 1999 Sandy Roderick, a sixth grade teacher at the Oxford Elementary School and organizer of the event, was recognized as educator of the year by the Oxford Soil and Water Conservation District. She was then recognized as Conservation Teacher of the Year for the State of Maine. This project has now been turned over to the Oxford Elementary third graders as part of their science curriculum.

In May of 2002, sixth grade students from the Oxford Elementary School and the Madison Avenue School and a fifth grade from the Crooked River School in Casco spent the day at Agassiz Village, a summer camp in Poland.(see map) This involved about 150 students who spent the day involved in many environmental educational activities. This event grew in 2003 to about 250 sixth graders from Oxford Elementary, Madison Ave., Otisfield Central, Hebron Station, and Crooked River Schools. Thirteen classrooms in all.

The success of all five of these events has been due to community involvement. Not only was the TLEA involved but so was the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. We often have an Americorps volunteer on our Education Committee who helps with organization. Soil and water conservation districts from Oxford and Androscoggin counties send volunteers who help with preplanning as well as working on that day. Trout Unlimited members from the Mollyockett Chapter bring fly rods and teach fly casting. TLEA members also demonstrate spin casting by fishing for plastic bass. Teachers volunteer to lead a variety of events from bird watching to acting out a court case called "You be the Judge"

Plans are already well underway for the 2004 event at Agassiz Village on Tuesday May 25.